


Demons need saving too: this time, it's personal

by ChestnutPatronus14



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Arson, Demon Shiro (Voltron), Demons, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Magic, Murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 06:50:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19145755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChestnutPatronus14/pseuds/ChestnutPatronus14
Summary: The Holt family has run the bar for years, unlike other places, the bar welcomes creatures of all sorts, demons, monsters, beyond your wildest imagination. Shiro has been a frequent patron of the bar, a sort of warden for the region that helps defend the humans in it from the creatures who step a bit too far out of line.  When Pidge, Matt’s younger sibling, is kidnapped as a way to force the Holt family to turn over those patrons who are of the demonic sort, Shiro volunteers to help, bringing him closer to Matt than ever before.Part of the Shatt Big Bang





	Demons need saving too: this time, it's personal

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Shatt Big Bang.
> 
>  **Artwork by:** [SkyDarko](https://twitter.com/Sky_Darko_) [Click here for incredible artwork!](https://twitter.com/Sky_Darko_/status/1137619826803953664)

The glamor that kept Shiro looking like another one of the humans seemed to slowly depart, melting away as his eyes turned a golden color, the hair on his head shifting from shades of gray to pure white that was tied behind his back.He ran his tongue along his teeth as he stepped forward towards the man that he had cornered.“You see, here’s the thing. Your friends kidnapped someone who is important to us.”

Shiro lifted his hand, a clawed finger trailing along the man’s cheek leaving a thin trail of blood in his wake. “And no one hurts those under our protection.”

He heard the soft gasp of surprise from somewhere off to his right.Matt, sweet Matt who had always been one to offer a safe place for the demons and the monsters of the world, had not seen him like this.

Matt had never seen him as the demon that he was.

“You’re going to tell me where Pidge is,” Shiro went on leaning in close, gripping the man’s jaw tightly. “You do, you get to run away. You don’t?”

“Shiro!”

Shiro turned his golden eyes on Matt, looking at him for a long moment before he released the man from his grasp. 

“Warehouse! By the docks!” The man bleated and ran shoving past the two of them.

“I-I didn’t ask you for this,” Matt stated, taking a step forward, reaching a hand out to him. “I didn’t ask for any of this.”

“You keep us safe.Let us help you,” Shiro replied, a faint growl in his voice as Matt’s hand came to rest against his cheek.

**Several Days Earlier**

It was the one place where Shiro actually liked to go and spend time around others of his kind.Demons were not exactly friendly towards him, even though he was one of them.It was the price he paid of being the areas guardian, a sort of enforcer for the entire area. At least that was what Shiro had always thought of himself as.Yes, it meant that from time to time he did have to…take care certain troublesome individuals.

It was the one place that did not seem to mind monsters, and demons frequenting it.Holt’s, a bar near the docks, was one of the only places around that did not seem to either throw them out, or have raids to kill them.Demons and monsters were not uncommon in the world, but they were not welcome by the majority of the mortals.To find a place where they could just be, was unique, welcomed.A safe haven.

Holt’s was that place. Shiro had been a frequent visitor of the location since it had opened up over a decade ago.It was a good place, one of the few that Shiro had seen, in the time of disarray and chaos, that he could see others like him relaxed, at ease without a care about the world that wanted them gone.

That was part of Shiro’s job, to keep everyone safe. To make sure that if someone of their kind went rogue then they would pay the price for exposing their kind to the world.It wasn’t often that he had to do something like that, for which he was grateful. Often his mere presence was enough to calm down situations and change how people viewed what was going on.

It wasn’t without the risks though, specifically to the Holt family that had opened their doors to them.Sam Holt had been something of an enigma when Shiro had first learned fo the bar that was welcomed to the demonic and mythical beings that inhabited their world.

Months of being at the bar to make sure that no one did anything that would jeopardize their world had Shiro becoming closer with Sam Holt, who just seemed to be interested in helping their kind out. 

It had been Matt, who Shiro had not met until the human had come and joined his father’s business, that had kept Shiro coming around. Unlike any other human that Shiro had ever met, Matt was intelligent, quick witted, and seemed to have a knack to see people as they were.Matt had known with a single look what Shiro was and had not shied away from him. There was a sense of wonder that Matt always seemed to have, a spark in his eyes when he met someone new, learned something new about the world that he lived in.

And Matt always seemed to know what the people in the bar were. Shiro had not yet been able to nail down what specifically it was that allowed him to do such a thing. If it was something that ever posed a risk… No, Shiro did not want to think about what would happen if that became an issue, the reality would be too gruesome even for him to bare.

In a world of monsters and demons, Matt was a ray of sunshine, something that, for whatever reason, brought a bit of a smirk to Shiro’s features when he would see the young man behind the bar, helping out the other patrons.

“Hey.”

Shiro was in his normal spot in the bar, looking over everything, everyone.Something wasn’t right that evening, his mind trying to process what was the key piece of missing information that he just couldn’t quite figure out. 

“Sir?”

A missing piece to a puzzle that he didn’t even know that he was playing. What was it?

“Shiro.”

A hand on his shoulder and Shiro lurched forward reaching to grab - Matt.There was a sort of nervous smirk on his lips, his eyes sparkling with a unique mixture of shock, fear, and….was that amusement?What a strange little human Matt was.

Settling back down into the chair, Shiro tilted his head, watching Matt for a moment. “Sorry, you startled me.”

“Were deep in thought,” Matt replied as he set the plate of food down in front of Shiro. The scent of spices and meat filled his nose, making his mouth water. The food was always excellent, and always tailored to the tastes of the demons who walked into the bar. They drew the line at completely raw meat for the sake of not wanting to draw attention to the bar. Most of the time, it was seared just enough on the top to make sure that if someone who was unaware of what the bar was walked in, they wouldn’t be suspicious.

“What’s troubling you?”

Shiro had been reaching for the fork and knife to start eating the food that he didn’t remember ordering when Matt spoke to him. “Something’s off.”It was a feeling that he had been having for the past few days, that general uneasiness that came before something unexpected was going to happen. A calm before the storm, how the forests would go silent as a predator stalked through them.

That was the sense that Shiro was getting, that there was someone or something prowling, the silence of all those who he would normally turn to for information were absent.It was as if the city now held it’s breath, watching and waiting for something to happen.

“It’s strange,” Shiro went on to say as he picked up a hunk of the steak and popped it into his mouth.Rare, probably too rare for the human sitting beside him to eat comfortably but perfect for the demon. A sound closed to a satisfied purr came from him, a sound that Shiro had hated since he had been a much younger being. “Haven’t been this quiet since the gargoyles had moved in…”

It had caused a hell of a lot of turmoil for the demons that were under his guard and his rule, beings whose existence was to protect humans could have been a potential threat for them. Turned out, they were just like the demons, looking for a place to stay and a place to call their own.Shiro had worked with them once or twice on several cases where their unique point of view had come in handy.They saw things differently in terms of motives that were less likely for a demon.

When it came to the crimes that Shiro had to stop, most of them were motivated by territory and long standing feuds between clans, the occasional retaliation.When it was outside of that specific thing, Shiro had found himself stranded, unable to understand those details of when it was passion, or money. Those far more intricate cases while he could solve them and had in the past, he found he solved far more quickly than int he past.

It was part of what he did as the enforcer for the area, settle disputes and solve crimes that the human police just could not even begin to comprehend.They tried their best, Shiro knew they did, and considered his own job as some sort of assistance when they were unable to help themselves out.

Matt huffed, a soft sort of sound that he did whenever he was thinking about doing something but didn’t quite have the words to describe what was going through his mind.There was that strange sparkle in his eyes, the one that Shiro had always spotted when Matt would try to piece something together.Like he could see the sparks of knowledge flying through his head as each piece of information fell into place.

“You going to be around for a bit? I gotta help pops clean up the back and then we can chat,” Matt replied, not giving Shiro a chance to respond as he made his way back towards the kitchen.

That was just how Matt was when he had a half idea about anything.He wanted to help, he wanted to seem important in a world where a lot of people didn’t appreciate his unique abilities or gifts. The fact that he was around demons most of his day meant that there were just some people who could sense a danger, a darkness around him and steered clear.

What was the word that Shiro had overheard being used before to describe someone? Sweet? Yeah, Shiro found him to be sweet.Well meaning and at least in terms of his father, eager to please and do a good job. Matt was the sort of person that Shiro believed could be relied upon, and didn’t say things just to try and get into a conversation or a situation where he was not supposed to be.

His eyes began to roam around the bar again, taking in the sights and the sounds of those around. The aroma of the various meats and foods being prepared just so they looked like the meals that existed beyond the walls.Heavy spices that coated the outside of the barely seared meats that he could just hear sizzling in the kitchen beyond as the final meals of the evening were prepared.The scents were meant to ask the actual smell of raw meat, steps that the Holts took to protect the actual nature of the clientele they served.

Shiro knew all of he people currently in the bar; who they are, what clan they belonged to if they did belong to one, and what their specific natures were. None were like him, an old an ancient demon who resembled a tiger.It led to the subtle growls and soft purrs, and, on the rare occasion, an uncontrollable desire for fish. None of those things ever really bothered Shiro, never became a problem.

HIs golden eyes flicked up towards the movement as he spotted someone leaving the bar.The demon gave him a brief nod before they left. A familiar face to him, someone who he had seen around the bar before.

In that specific moment, there were none that were strangers to him, a sense of ease seeming to mask that feeling that something was off.He had to be just over thinking the entire situation, some part of his mind completely overworking everything.

It was an hour or so before Matt had made his way back over, two mugs of tea in his hand.Steam rose from around the rims of the mugs as one was placed in front of him, and Shiro sniffed at it curiously.“What’s this?” He asked, more curious than he was skeptical.

“Black tea blend, supposed to help calm the mind and focus,” Matt explained, taking a sip from the cup. “Thought might help you out, maybe get you to realize what it is you are missing and what makes you so uneasy.”

That was…surprisingly thoughtful from the human that was oh so very fascinating to him.No one ever took the time to actually make sure that if he needed something that he had it. Considerate, especially given what he was.Matt knew, he could see it no matter what level of energy that Shiro put into his magical glamour to hide his true form.

Most would be terrified to see the yellow eyes, the sharp teeth and claws, the tattoo like stripes along his face.The sort of magic he had was old, that of the white tiger that so many revered in legend.A creature of silence and of power, a hunter of great strength.Most were terrified, just able to sense the predator that they were in the room with.

Shiro took a tentative sip from the cup, it was earthy, a little bitter not unpleasant though. “You had something to tell me?”

After a moment Matt nodded his head, setting the cup down. “You know how I can see through the magic and illusions right? Bet you’ve known that all along. Not the point though.”Matt waved his hand around towards the bar where some people were still mingling, though people didn’t seem to care or notice the two of them in the corner.“Well on the streets while I’ve been out-”

“You go out?” Shiro raised a brow at hi, hoping that the teasing tone in his voice conveyed the nature of his statement.

“Don’t interrupt come on, this is important.” Matt reached over and snagged one of the french fries on the plate with half eaten steak. “Been seeing something strange.Just a blackness in the air.Some people with solid yellow eyes. Not like yours, completely yellow.Strong magic, that’s really all I could tell about them.”Matt ran his finger along the edge of his cup, thoughtful. “There’s very few people, very few beings that I can’t identify on sight.”

Which was a startling enough thought, Matt knew almost as much about the beings that existed in the world as Shiro did. They had spent time discuss what they saw, what existed.If Matt had questions that were not too intrusive then he would answer them to the best of his abilities. Not everyone was as friendly with the humans as Shiro was with the Holts.He appreciated what they did for creatures like him.Safe places were rare for them.

“How many have you seen?” Shiro asked, worried about these strange groups of people that Matt had seen. There had been whispers, Shiro was not deaf to them of a strange new group, there had been no concrete evidence to support a new group.A class of demons that he had never heard of before? That was not possible….unless.It was a theory starting to form in his mind.

“A handful, never together, sort of like they are avoiding each other for some reason that I can’t get.”Matt scratched at his chin. “Unless they don’t actually want to be seen together.”

Shiro nodded his head slowly. “Probably something along those lines.”Almost like they had something planned, and being seen together could reveal their strength, their numbers. All those small bits of key information that people liked to have when trying to figure out how and when an attack was going to occur.

“Matt, do not keep investigating these demons,” Shiro stated suddenly looking up towards the human, a ferocity in his eyes, that determination to make sure that this human would remain safe.The humans hated demons, Matt was one of the few humans who gave a damn. Shiro wanted to protect that, keep him away from harm if at all possible.

“I can help,” Matt replied, his finger moving along the rim of his cup of tea. “Not like I can help what I see.” Matt’s gift wasn’t something that he could turn on and off, Shiro had asked when he had first learned o Matt’s very unique eyesight.

“Matt, I mean it. Don’t go looking into these guys until I have a chance too.” Putting himself in danger, however, was easy for him.It was something he did always very easily. A self-sacrificing demon guardian of the the city? Oh he was great at doing his job, but he would also lay his life down, or whatever counted as a life for a demon, down to protect someone that he deemed worthy.Matthew Holt? He earned that status a while ago.

Shiro could never quite say what he liked about Matt, just that he did like him. Something about the way he was, and how he wasn’t actually scared of him.He was thoughtful and treated him like a normal being rather than a monster like most did, or a predator like the rest were able to tell.

The problem was, Matt had a big heart, which could lead him into danger. It could do something that would have Matt running headlong into danger to protect someone else with no regard for himself.Shiro had witnessed it, when Matt would stand up to unruly patrons of the bar who took issue with one of the other clients. Matt was the one who would defend the person if he felt it necessary.

There was little doubt in Shiro’s mind that Matt would try something to stop whatever was going to happen, would happen.Whatever threat that was going to exist, Matt would without a doubt try and stop.It was a bad situation, and Shiro knew it.He just did not want to arrive one day to hear that Matt was gone. 

“Alright alright fine, I promise.”

Shiro wanted to believe him.He really did, but there was still a pit of worry in his stomach.

A lot of things began to happen all at once that caused Shiro to have to stay away from the bar for several days. There were problems to be solved, disputes to be mediated.The day to day life of a protector.One of those sentinels that were around the world to keep the specific areas safe and keep the peace for all that exist in the world.

It wasn’t that he wanted to stay away from him, it was more that he just wanted to get a few minutes of peace where he wasn’t having to fly out of the house at the drop of a hat for another new and terrible problem.It was a lot of random and mundane problems that he was suddenly forced to deal with.Keeping him from the bar, and keeping him from Matt.

Of course he cared about the strange human who could see beyond the veil of magic that kept him looking just like every other human out on the street.That sort of cocky smile while the young man was behind the bar, pouring a drink or bringing food out to the table. The easy way that he moved around the tables, as if it was some sort of dance that he was performing.Matt just had that way about him.

Shiro often found himself just watching Matt from time to time.It had started out as a fascination with him, and what he was doing. Trying to figure out how this one particular human worked.It had become something that he just appreciated, something that he had looked forward too.Not to mention that something that Matt teased him about whenever he caught his stare. A laugh, a smile, Matt shoving at his shoulder telling him to knock it off, or that he should take a picture because it would last longer.

The joke had been light, something that Shiro had not been expecting when it had happened, just like the laugh that had coe from him.It had been a long time since he had last laughed. Not since the last person who he had truly loved had been killed.

His past was never something that Shiro went into, and it was more than a half century ago, back when demons were hunted down so efficiently that most of the great clans went into hiding.Shiro watching Adam be executed for what he was had changed everything for him.It had turned him into the monster that he was, the one that was feared, and helped the demons come back into power.He was fierce, but Adam kept telling him that if they ever wanted to stop the fighting, then they’d have to change. 

The years had changed Shiro, but he never had forgotten that. It had changed him from an angry avenger, meant on nothing but destruction, to someone who worked to protect those like him and keep the peace between them and the humans.

It was a part of who he was, and it was something that Shiro thought he had become quite good at if he did say so. All he had to do was close his eyes, take a breath, and whatever anger was there would calm down. It would allow him to keep himself level headed, and able to lead and make those tough decisions that sometimes others were not able too.

That was where he came in, listen, help, and if necessary he would dispatch justice. It was probably his least favorite part of his job, and Shiro always made sure that if someone had to be punished, it was by the hand that said the sentence.

But despite all of his experience, and all of his knowledge on the subject, Shiro could not understand why the entire city seemed to be going haywire.It was like someone had dropped a bomb on the city and there was just such pent up energy that the slightest movement people were getting into fights. Not just the demons either, but the humans as well.

The world around him was incredibly unstable…and Shiro was growing worried about the cause, and where it was all leading. Someone wanted to cause chaos, and whoever it was, they were succeeding.

It was later in the evening, and Shiro was just about to head back to the small place that he called home. It wasn’t anything fancy, a simple one bedroom apartment that just provided him with a space to stay alone, to sleep.That was really all that he did there.There were some books that he used during his work for certain research projects.Or if he needed to get a hold of someone that he otherwise would not be able to.

His eyes moved out over the city, a news report playing on the television s he just sat there and thought bout everything that was going on. In the background, the person droned on about what was going on in the news that day. Someone had done something great, the weather was going to be awful the next several days, traffic, as always, was horrific and there was no way anyone was getting anywhere on time.

Shiro was at the fridge pulling out something to eat when he froze.

“Earlier today, police were called to the scene of a fire at a local bar.Run for decades by the Holt family-”

Shiro didn’t hear the rest of the report, he was out the door in a second, running as fast as his legs would carry him.When that wasn’t fast enough, he let his true form slip, and used his increased strength and his claws to climb up the buildings, running as fast as he possibly could.The claws sank into the stone and concrete, leaving deep scratches in their surfaces as he ran.

Faster and faster.The Holt’s had to be okay.They had to be.

By the time he got there, there was still a crowd outside the bar, people milling about waiting to hear more of what had happened.Faces of some of the other demons that he did recognize were there.It was like all the regulars at Holt’s had arrived to see what was going on and what had happened.

Shiro approached, slowing down, trying to let the protective surge of energy fade into the background.There was no signs that anyone was hurt.Right? There was an ambulance yes, but it looked like it was just a patron of the bar and not Matt or his parents.Stepping up alongside several of the younger demons, the ones who played in the neighborhood, Shiro paused.

He knew one of them, the dark-haired boy, Keith.Shiro had taken him under his wing, teaching him what he knew about being a guardian.“Do we know anything?” he asked in a low voice so Keith could hear.

Keith scoffed, arms folding over his chest as he looked forward, shaking his head. “No. Won’t tell us a thing.Holt’s are somewhere beyond the line.Saw pops and the lady, and the one you always talk to.” Keith nodded his head over towards where he saw a police officer standing there with the Holts, Matt and his parents.

They looked horrible, grief so strong that Shiro would smell it in the air above the acrid smoke from the fire.Something more than what Shiro would expect from someone who had just suffered a fire like that.But he hung back, let the mortal police handle what had happened.It took a while before the crowds began to disperse and Shiro was able to get closer to them.No sense in drawing attention to himself by getting the attention of the police…

“Shiro!”Matt was running up to him though.“You-I-where-I-”

Shiro took hotd of his shoulders, squeezing them, hoping the firm pressure would help bring the panicked man back to him.If he couldn’t, then Shiro wasn’t sure what he’d be able to do to get Matt out of this state.He needed to talk to him to find out what happened.The weight in his stomach had not gone away, in fact it had gotten worse the more time he spent at the scene.

“What happened.”

Matt managed to swallow around the lump in his throat. “I don’t know. We were at home, and we started to smell the smoke and-”

“You smelled it while at home?”

“We live above it.”Matt looked down. “The place was on fire. We had to stop it before it got to the alcohol and we tried so hard to do that. We didn’t want anyone else to get hurt Shiro, you have to believe me. But when we did that, we started looking around and we couldn’t find them.”

“Them?”

“My sibling, Pidge, they were just gone.”

Gone.Just gone.

There was such a lost and panicked look in Matt’s eyes that it was unsettling to Shiro.It was not a look he could ever recall seeing on his face before.The sense of dread that he felt in that moment was like nothing he had felt in years. When was the last time?Back before Adam….That had to be it.

These good people who helped out the demons had been attacked and one of them had been taken.If this didn’t fall under what his duties were then Shiro had no idea what else would.“I’m going to take a look around.”

A statement, not a request.Shiro needed as much information as physically possible for him to be able to reach a conclusion, a choice of what he was going to do and how he was going to respond to the attack on his friends.On Matt….

Shiro stepped into the burned area.It had started in the kitchen, if he was using his nose and was smelling correctly, had not spread so far that it had become a major problem. The kitchen was ruined, and dear lord that they had not had an explosion was incredible.Running his hand against part of the burned wall, he could feel the barrier, heat resistant to keep the alcohol safe from the fire.Smart trick. Good idea for a bar that also served food in case of fire…. How had he never wondered about it before.

It seemed like the fire had started from absolute no where.Shiro tread carefully, looking down towards the ground for any signs of intruders, what could have started the fire in the ashes and smoke covered walls.If he had to suspect, a potential demon attack.It looked like it. No trace of anyone, no trace of a point of ignition from the fryer or the stove….

For Shiro it confirmed it in his mind. A fire with no starting point, a demonically induced fire.

“What do you see?”

Shiro glanced over his shoulder towards where Matt was standing, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.It made him look so small and fragile, far more human than he had the last time that they had spoken.

Straightening up, Shiro approached him, placing his hand on his shoulder.Matt was warm beneath his hand, always so very warm that he could feel it through the blanket.Those eyes of his were “You should be with your parents, I can take care of it.” He paused. “I’ll come by later and let you know what I-”

“No. I’m going to help you. Pidge is my sibling. I won’t let you just push me aside.”There was a sudden fire in his eyes that took Shiro aback. Determination to help someone who was precious to him.That was something that Shiro could understand.Yet it terrified him.

There had been that same look in Adam’s eyes before he had been captured.Saying that it was unfair what they were going through, how they were treated like lesser beings than the humans and that gave them the right to hunt them down like they were rabid dogs.No…Adam had fought.Adam had been a hero in Shiro’s eyes.

And Adam had died with that same look of determination in them. 

Shiro held his breath, refusing to move, uncertain of what he should say in response.Matt was so determined to help him out, determined to find his sibling and bring them home.Hell what was he going to do?Bringing a human long into an investigation like this was going to cause a lot of complications.Many demons did not want to talk while they were around humans It would be too hard.It would be impossible to get to the bottom of any of the situations that had been coming up.

“Please, Shiro.”The tone in Matt’s voice damn near killed him, ripping out his heart and shredding it into a thousand pieces.The glossy look in his eyes from crying, the determination, and frustration. “I have to help. It’s my fault that they-”

His…fault? “What happened Matt?”

Matt looked away, and shook his head. “It was…I did what you told me not to. I looked into it. That’s why they did this. It’s gotta be that.That’s whose got Pidge and it’s my fault.”Matt squared his shoulders, looking at Shiro with that same look of determination in his eyes. “And I’m going to help you get them back.I’m the reason they were taken and like hell am I going to just sit by and do nothing.”

Shiro was already shaking his head at the suggestion. “It is far too dangerous Matt, it would be a lot safer and smarter for you to just wait here while I go investigate-”

“Did you not hear me? I’m going with you and nothing you can say or do will change my mind.If you tell me I can’t I’ll just go on my own.”Matt smirked, a sparkle in his eyes. “So the way I see it, you can either come with me and make sure I don’t get my ass killed, or I’m just going to go off on my own and probably die because some demon doesn’t like that I’m looking into what’s going on in the city.”

Shiro pressed his lips into a thin line, staring at the human with mild disbelief. Was Matt really that stupid? Or brave? Both?To chose to willing go investigate demons when, even with Shiro by his side, there was a high chance of danger was an act of pure madness.Pure insanity.

“Fine.”Shiro turned back towards the burned kitchen looking around for any sort of clue, anything that could point them in the right direction. “Where did you last see them?”

“They seem to hang out by the parks at night,” Matt said walking around the kitchen.Each step had a puff of ash going into the air behind him, his eyes seeming more tired than they had in the past several days.“Still don’t know what they’re planning, but I was able to figure out they call themselves the Galrans.”

“How close did you get to hear that?”

“Do you really want to know the answer to that question Shiro?”

“Matt-”

“We’ve already had the argument that I don’t listen when you give me advice, why are you acting surprised now?” Matt raised a brow reaching to pick up a knife from the counter, rolling it around in his hands. 

Shiro sighed, and shook his head disapprovingly. This man was probably going to be the death of him, if not from an attack then from the stress of keeping him safe.One or the other, the human was going to kill him.

“Did you learn anything else?”

“They don’t like you and the other guardians. Something about working to bring you and the others down…taking control of first the city and the the world.”

“Matt what exactly did you do to learn all of this.”

“I’m a very good listener, comes with standing behind the bar. Point is. We can find one of them right? They gotta know where Pidge is and-”

“Matt,” Shiro placed a hand back on Matt’s shoulder, squeezing it firmly.The way that Matt was rolling the knife in his hand spoke of someone who had definitely used it before and not just for work in the kitchen. “You go with me, I can’t promise you’ll come back in one piece.”

For a moment, Matt was silent, thinking over his decision, trying to decide if it was something that he should do, or at least that was what Shiro hoped was going through his mind.Not some sort of half thought out plan that would never work in a million years.

“Pidge is my family.I have to do this.”

That, at the very least, was something that Shiro could accept.

 

It was a plan that Matt had been thinking up, and most of what Matt thought up ended up being pretty good.They had spent time just observing, spending time together pretending that they were just that, together, so not to bring attention to themselves.Fewer people seemed to shy away from Shiro when Matt was around, and Matt just seemed to smile more while they were together.

Sort of an undercover operation for the two of them.It was like nothing Shiro could remember doing, sure he had Adam used to go places together. This entire situation with Matt though? It was different.They were able to walk together, hand in hand from time to time.They ate together, or as much as Shiro was able to tolerate, spent time outside. All the while the two of them were trying to hunt down someone who Matt had seen interacting with the Galrans.Feeding them information.

If Shiro had to guess, the man was the one who had sold out the Holt’s.In his mind, that was good enough to just destroy the guy. Shiro’s family had been attacked, people who he cared about, and who cared about them.That was enough reason for Shiro to want to rip them limb from limb. But he didn’t tell Matt that, didn’t want Matt to see that anger that he still held inside him towards those who had hunted demons in the past.

There were a lot of people in the city, a lot of faces that he didn’t recognize.It could take a while to be able to find the person who Matt was convinced existed and could give them information.The fact that it could take longer didn’t bother him as much as it first had, not when there was the very real chance that it meant he could spend more time with Matt.

Shiro hated himself for that line of thinking, knowing just how selfish it was while Matt’s sibling was on the line. As much as he was enjoying spending time together, he could not allow himself to get quite as distracted as he had been.There was no room for his own emotions regarding Matt and the time they were spending together. He had to focus on the task at hand, and that was finding and saving Pidge.

It had taken days to track down someone who knew anything about the resurgence of the Galran, who might know about where Pidge might have been taken after they had grabbed them at the bar. That entire day was stained into his memory, a black mark that made the rest of his community look like nothing more than thugs attacking a pillar of the community.Even though the bar was frequented by demons, everyone in the community knew about it, and knew of the Holt’s.

Matt was by his side, having insisted that he go with Shiro to find out any information that could be used to help his sibling, and bring them home. It had…not been an idea Shiro was overly happy about. He had trouble telling Matt no, so there they were, walking down the streets in a comfortable silence.Each of them knew that their goal was that evening find the guy who-

Shiro held up his hand, his eyes instantly towards the ally.They had passed people in the allies before. This particular one? It still reeked of fire and smoke.Bingo.

Giving Matt a brief glance, Shiro took off down the ally, hearing the suddenly panicked footsteps as the person try his best to get away from them.A panicked sort of cry, desperate and unhappy at being caught. There was no way out though, a wall blocked the edge of the ally.

There was a look of absolute terror in the man’s eyes as Shiro stalked towards him, the predatory look in his eyes something out of a nightmare.This man was going to pay for what happened to Pidge and they others. With each step, the anger bubbled up further into his chest, turning into a boiling rage.These beasts had thought they could walk into his him and terrorize the people who lived in it?

No.They had to pay.They had to understand that he would not allow something like that to happen ever again.

The glamor that kept Shiro looking like another one of the humans seemed to slowly depart, melting away as his eyes turned a golden color, the hair on his head shifting from shades of gray to pure white that was tied behind his back. Stripes seemed to snake out onto the sides of his face and along his arms, giving him the look of a tiger.He ran his tongue along his teeth as he stepped forward towards the man that he had cornered.“You see, here’s the thing. Your friends kidnapped someone who is important to us. Important to me.”

Shiro lifted his hand, a clawed finger trailing along the man’s cheek leaving a thin trail of blood in his wake. “And no one hurts those under our protection.” His hand closed around the man’s lower jaw, holding it so tightly in his grasp that Shiro could easily snap it like a twig.

He heard the soft gasp of surprise from somewhere off to his right.Matt, sweet Matt who had always been one to offer a safe place for the demons and the monsters of the world, had not seen him like this.

Matt had never seen him as the demon that he was.

“You’re going to tell me where Pidge is,” Shiro went on leaning in close, gripping the man’s jaw tighter and tighter with each passing moment. “You do, you get to run away. You don’t?” A low and threatening growl escaped him, yellow cat eyes locked on his prey.

“Shiro!”

Shiro turned his golden eyes on Matt, looking at him for a long moment before he released the man from his grasp. 

“Warehouse! By the docks!” The man bleated and ran, shoving past the two of them.

“I-I didn’t ask you for this,” Matt stated, taking a step forward, reaching a hand out to him. Matt’s eyes could show him the potential of what someone could look like without the glamour.To see it live, in person, standing there before him and threatening someone else’s life? That was more than Matt could handle. He had never seen Shiro do his work before.He had never seen Shiro fight before.Certainly, Matt had never seen Shiro without the glamour completely.“I didn’t ask for any of this.”

“You keep us safe.Let us help you,” Shiro replied, a faint growl in his voice as Matt’s hand came to rest against his cheek.No one touched him so gentle, not in such a long time at least.It had always been hard for him to trust others, to look at those people who were in his life and open up to any of them.Matt was the first since Adam that he actually wanted to try and trust more that what was currently acceptable.

They were only friends, only acquaintances from the bar.There was no way that the kind human that Shiro had become quite fond of would let him come into his life and be anything more than what they currently were. Friends. A demon and a human? Things like that just did not happen.

Gentle fingers moved against his face, tracing the stripes that stretched out over his face.Shiro didn’t dare move, worried that even the slightest movement would scare Matt away from him in this situation where already so much was uncertain.

It had been foolish to bring Matt along, not because he was weak, but because Shiro was going to struggle having him there. It was someone else that he had to focus on, someone who he had to keep safe no matter what. Because….Why did he feel the need to protect Matt from everything? It wasn’t as if there was something else going on.Something that required him to keep him safe out of some sort of moral obligation.

It was…

Shiro cared about Matt.That was what it came down to.

When he had fully come to the realization about that, Shiro couldn’t be certain.It went beyond the regular moral obligations to the humans in his ward.Those were the people who he had to protect as a part of his duties as a guardian.If the demon lords found out he had knowingly let one of them die, then it would be his own head.

And then there was Matt. His desire to protect the brave and intelligent human was way beyond what he had ever felt before, even back when he was with Adam.It went deeper, gripped at his heart in such a way that filled him with dread at the very thought of Matt being injured, let alone killed.

“You don’t have to come with me,” Shiro began.“I will find Pidge, I will bring them home.”

“You’re not going anywhere without me.If you think otherwise. You’re even crazier than I thought.” Matt’s brows furrowed looking towards him, his eyes moving over his face.Was he searching for any signs of doubt? Any sign that he would be disagreed with?

“It’s too dangerous for you.” 

Matt released Shiro’s face, folding his arms over his chest and giving him a disappointed look. “After everything we’ve done in the past few days you are going to argue with me about this now Shiro? I can help you.You wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for me.”

“I would have eventually found him.”Why was he saying things like this, was he really trying to push Matt away so he would get anymore involved than he already was.That past moment had showed him just how determine Matt really was, but at the same time…Shiro was absolutely terrified that Matt was about to do something that would risk his own life. Shiro couldn’t do that, could not let Matt continue to risk his own life.

Not after that moment, the gentle fingers touching his face, looking at him as if he was someone so beautiful, when he knew in his heart that what he looked like was an absolute monster. There’d be no going back if he let himself get that close to Matt.Past a point of no return where he would be unable to keep Matt safe.

“Just go home Matt, you cannot help me where I am going.”

Anger flashed in Matt’s eyes. “No. I’m not going home. I’m staying right here cause you need me Shiro. I can help you.”

“How could you help me? You’re just a human.”

It was as if someone had dropped a bomb between the two of them.The silence began to fill the space they were in.Shock filled Matt’s eyes, his mouth parting slightly in disbelief at what Shiro had just said. All of it, Shiro truly believed, was to get Matt to go, to protect him from himself. God they were going to be going after a gang of demons and there was no way to know if either of them would return alive. Matt was human.Pidge was human.Humans did not last long around demons.

Yes, Shiro would fight to the death to defend Matt, had a bunch of other demons ready and willing to do the same. The Holt’s had always taken care of them and Shiro wanted to be able to return the favors.The thought of putting Matt in danger was becoming more and more uncomfortable, turning his stomach into a twisting knot.

The betrayal in Matt’s eyes was almost enough to get him to change his mind, to invite Matt along as he went after the Galrans that had taken Pidge. To apologize for calling him ‘just’ a human as if there was nothing special about him, when there truly was.Matt was brave, intelligent, quick witted, and could make him smile.All the time they had spent over the last few days had been the best that Shiro had had in a very long time. It had felt almost like they were normal. Like this could actually be a life that he would one day have.

Would that be so bad? Spending time together, laughing together.Maybe Shiro would be able to give up being a guardian and help out around the bar. Quiet evenings together…

No he was getting ahead of himself again.There was no chance of that life for him.None, if he let Matt die.There was a less chance now that he had said something saying Matt was, essentially, a nobody.

“Just a human? You think I’m just a human?” There was anger in Matt’s voice, pain.With everything that was going on in his life right now. “This human has found out more information about the Galrans in several days than you were able to over the past several months. You wouldn’t be this far without this ‘just a human’ would you demon?”

“I have never been anything but nice to you.I’ve always treated you like you were my friend and now you’re just saying that I am just one of the other humans? That I’m not at all important to you?”

“That is not what I-”

“Then what is it?” Matt demanded glaring up at Shiro, defiant, full of pain and fire that burned brighter than anything Shiro could remember.

“Because if you got hurt I would never forgive myself. If you got hurt, I would destroy the entire city to make sure whoever did it paid for hurting someone precious to me. All because if they hurt you, if they hurt the person who is important to me.”Shiro tried to make himself look s impassive as possible, as un-emotional as possible.When in fact, that was more than he had ever admitted in a very long time.Shiro was empathetic, feeling what others felt more strongly.Actually admitting it though? That was something else entirely.Admitting to Matt the real reason that he didn’t want him to come along? 

Matt looked at him quietly for a long time, then, slowly, he nodded his head. “Fine.”There was such a sound of defeat in his voice. “Just fine.”

Was that the wrong answer? Was that the wrong thing to say?Hell why was he so bad at this?It wasn’t like he had had a lot of practice with something like that.

But Matt was turning around and walking away from him, his arms still folded over his chest.

“Matt wait.”

“Just bring Pidge home.”

“Matt!”

What had gone wrong?Shiro frowned watching as Matt disappeared into the crowds of people at the start of the ally.Well, he had gotten his wish.He was on his own now.It felt like a part of him had just disappeared, ripped away with each step that Matt took that brought them farther and farther apart.

If there was one thing that he could do to make it up to Matt, it would be to bring Pidge home. Shiro took a breath, trying to calm his now frayed nerves.He could do this, he could absolutely do this.

He set off, moving as quickly as he was able to without drawing attention to himself. It wasn’t dark enough for him to just jump and leap, make his way to where he needed to at his top speed. But he was getting there.

The air was filled with the smell of salt, and of fish, the air having a very distinct chill in it as Shiro approached slowing down his pace.There was no need to rush, if he was reckless he would end up dead as would poor Pidge.No, he had to stop, look, and think before he acted.That was certainly more his style than just rushing on into everything.

Quiet, Shiro began to move around the warehouses, listening, hoping to catch some sort of sound or scent so that he could narrow down just where it was they were supposed to be.There were so many different sounds floating around, sounds of talking and shouting, of fish flopping about waiting to be packaged and shipped off to restaurants. Of machines whirring and coolers running. Everything possible that was clouding his hearing.

The energy surged in him, going through and letting his senses heighten, drawing in his power and dropping the glamour to be able to focus more of that energy on something else.The world came suddenly into focus, colors were sharper, scents were clearer, sounds more distinct. A low rumble came from his chest as he continued the silent prowl. 

Shiro paused outside of one of the warehouse, pressing his ear to the steal wall of the warehouse. There were people inside, talking about something that Shiro couldn’t quite make out.What he could though, was the muffled sounds of someone trying to talk, but was not able to. As if they were gagged.

Reaching up, Shiro grabbed the ledge of the nearest window and pulled, peering inside.It was just what he had hopped.A warehouse filled with people, filled with the Galrans who had taken Pidge, who was bound and gagged on a mattress on the opposite side of the warehouse. Shiro dropped back down and made his way around the warehouse trying to get a handle on where he could go to get into the building.

He had to save Pidge, he had to be able to get there, get in and get out without any issues.Then go home and try to apologize to Matt for what he said. It had been cruel, and unfair…and sure he had opened up afterwards but that did not negate a proper apology.

Some part of him should have realized that it was too simple, that a true hide out would have been far more heavily guarded than it was.In reality, there was only one guard outside of the door.

Shiro had only taken a moment a few seconds of time to dispatch with the guard, sliding his razor sharp claws along his throat.The scent of blood filled the air as the body dropped to the ground. Shiro paused tilting his head to the side as he listened. No one had heard.Good.

He slipped in through the window, dropping down beside where Pidge was.Pidge’s eyes went wide as saucers as Shiro pressed a blood finger to his lips to keep her quiet as he moved to get the restraints off them.

The pain shot through his arm before he was even aware of what was happening.Smoke seemed to come from where his arm had once been, the wound burned closed, saving his life…and severing the arm. Shiro dropped to his knees, staring off towards where people were now walking.The purple skin and yellow eyes, tails swishing back and forth as they stared at him.

Shiro glanced over his shoulder one standing behind him.The leader, had to be.He was the biggest and was carrying a sword that still glistened with fire. “Should have known better guardian than to walk into a a building with no security.Foolish little demon, you’re mine now.”

A boot slammed into his side knocking him over beside Pidge who stared at him with fear in their eyes.What were they going to do now? Shiro was stuck, wounded badly, in agony, and Pidge was still tied up.

He…had failed.He had failed Matt and there was going to be no going back.Shiro closed his eyes, the pain overwhelming his senses to the point where all he could see was the darkness closing in on him, and the sound of laughter filling the air.

It was the sounds of shouts that woke Shiro, and of someone shaking his shoulder.He looked over towards Pidge, who was nudging him with their boot, eyes wide once more, yet determined.Pidge nodded towards where the rest of the room was. 

His vision was blurry, and Shiro had to roll onto his side to be able to see what was going on.Everyone was was running around, shouting.There were bodies not he floor, some dead, some still alive but very close to death. There was fire, the scent of alcohol filling the air. 

What the hell had happened? Had he really been out for that long?

Shiro struggled to push himself up, his head swimming, unable to focus.Barely able to tell what was in front of his face.Was that his name? It couldn’t be his name…. There was no one that would have come for-

“Shiro!”And there was Matt kneeling down in front of him. Matt taking hold of his face.He was smudged with ash, his eyes searching his own looking for something.“Can you stand?”

Shiro nodded his head. “Might need help…”

“Right…” Matt murmured, then turned to cut Pidge free from their bonds and take the tape off of their mouth.Then Matt turned to help Shiro up, wrapping an arm around his waist. “Come on let’s get the two of you out of here.”

“How…?”

“Later Shiro.Later.”

Matt led the way with them out of the hide out, dodging the attacks by the other Galrans as Shiro leaned against him.God he was so damn tired.He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t keep-His eyes moved towards Matt, watching him for a long moment before he took a deep breath, trying to regain his self control, his motivation and to keep walking forward.

Past those screaming in pain, past the sounds of bottles shattering and people dying.Past the scents of blood, alcohol and fire. Out to fresh air, and the sounds of sirens sounding in the cold night air.Shiro took a breath, letting the cool air fill his lungs and clear his mind for a moment.

The second that they were outside and in the car that Matt helped him into he once again let his eyes close, and he fell asleep once more, away from the pain. Away from his grand failure of saving Pidge. How could he have been so foolish?

When Shiro next opened his eyes, it was days later, blinking back against the sun streaming in through the curtains in the room he was in.He groaned softly as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, or attempting to.It was harder than he thought, and it took rolling to one side before he was able to. Shiro looked at the window and then around the room.It was unfamiliar to him.“Where am I?”

The door opened, and Matt walked into the room, pausing when he saw Shiro. “You’re awake, I was wondering when you’d open your eyes.”Matt crossed the short distance between them moving to sit on the edge of the bed, giving Shiro a warm smile.“You sleep like the dead you know that?”

“Thought I was dead for a second there,” Shiro murmured looking over towards Matt, his head tilted to the side. “Where am I?”

“My parents place above the bar. Brought you back here. Thought it’d be better than you getting picked up by an ambulance and taken somewhere. Might poke and prod you until you were nothing more than a science experiment.” Matt reached up to press his hand against Shiro’s forehead.“You’re still warm, but not as warm as you were. Going to take that as a good sign…”

“You saved me…”

“Yeah for all the bullshit you pulled I did didn’t I?”There was a triumphant smile on Matt’s lips. 

He went onto explain what had happened. Matt had gone back to the bar and gotten his car, filled with bottles, ropes, rages, and a lighter.He had created what was essentially a burning chandelier.Climbing to the roof of the warehouse, he had lowered each one quietly, and then lit them all.As a result, as they burned, they fell, shattering and sending the fire everywhere. What didn’t get light on fire, Matt either used a knife on, or threw more bottles of burning alcohol into the warehouse while running into save them.

“Was easy to find you, they were bragging all over town about how they had the city’s guardian trapped in a warehouse. People just bragged and bragged about the Galran’s capturing him. Went there, and they were loud as hell.” Matt was checking the bandage, making sure that it was not damp, or needed changing. “Just glad I got there in time… the boss wasn’t there, but I got the both of you out to fight another day.”

“Matt I’m-”Shiro’s brows furrowed, a frown on his lips.

“I know Shiro. I know.I was angry, knew eventually you meant well. Not that I actually ended up listening to you and went against everything you said.Shouldn’t have said it in the first place.”

“I shouldn’t have. You’re not just a human, you’re so much more than that. I’m sorry Matt. You’re a hero.”Shiro hesitated before he reached up and touched his face. “You’re my hero.” He let his thumb brush against his skin.

Matt smiled warmly at him and leaned down just resting their foreheads together. “You get better, then we’re gonna teach you how to tend bar. You’re staying here, with me.”

“I like the sound of that.


End file.
